I’m seeing more and more beautiful brides and beautiful dresses with the most amazing ‘back’ designs.

Everything from a low sequined swoop to a lengthy lace panel. Its such a ‘wow’ statement to make so its totally understandable that you most certainly don’t want to hide it behind a ‘down’ do. But don’t panic, it doesn’t mean you have to have it scraped onto the top of your head!

There are lots of ways to style your hair loosely, with that romantic ‘undone’ look without having to have it all up. You can see some inspiration here.  It’s a common issue for brides to not want their neck too exposed, or their hair too tightly pinned back over their ears and the current popular romantic, more undone styles lend themselves perfectly to these problems!

I always remind my brides that they need to look and feel amazing in 360 degrees! What I mean by that is that there will be an obscene amount of pictures of the back of your head ( think walking down the aisle!) and even more from the side ( if you’re standing side on from your friends and family saying your vows) so your chosen style needs to look amazing from all angles! 

Another issue that I often hear is brides who are concerned about the back of their beautiful dress being ruined by a spot or pimple on their back on the wedding day. If this happens to you then please don’t panic! Just like we can easily cover any outbreaks you might have on your face, we can do exactly the same with any other exposed part of your body too. This might be pimples on your upper arms, a blotchy neck, a spot on your back – to name just a few! Airbrush make up is renowned for the amazing coverage it gives – even to tattoos and scars so that’s one less thing for you to panic about! 

Your dress can play a massive part in your decision as to how you would like to wear your hair, but if you’re stuck and need some advice then feel free to contact me and I’ll be happy to help you come up with a few ideas! 

I look forward to speaking with you! 

Katie x 

How many is too many?! Can you ever have enough?!

One of the nicest things about my job is seeing everyone come together on the wedding morning. There’s no better place to be than to be around a happy, bubbly, excited group of ladies ( with Prosecco!) ! The wedding morning is often an event in itself, the anticipation for what’s about to happen, surrounded by your friends and family, the pampering, the nervous chatter, the happy vibes – I love it! Some people get ready at their venue, others at home and many bridal parties even choose to wear matching robes too (which looks great in the pictures!). However you’re spending your wedding morning the celebration really does start here! So many ladies tell me that its when I turn up they realise that its all really happening! 

As a professional, timing is my problem not yours. I’ll never rush you, i want you to really enjoy the wedding day experience of transforming into a bride and its important that we make the most of that for you. When I’m working alone I will only commit to a set number of people to ensure that I have time for everyone on the wedding morning. That doesn’t mean that I can accommodate the larger bridal parties too. When there more ladies that I can manage I bring along an assistant to help with the workload. An extra pair of hands ensures that we run on time and everyone gets to be part of the hair and make up action! Getting everyone ready together means that you can all still sit and chat ( and open gifts, and take pictures and drink more Prosecco!) whilst the process takes place.

Some brides like to have all their bridesmaids matching, same make up look, same hair style – whilst others are happy for each individual to choose a style that they are most comfortable with. I will always speak with the bride directly to make sure that she is happy with the choice made but ultimately, and as lots of brides understand, if the bridesmaids feel good – they will look good too! ( Which will then make sure your photos look even better!) There’s really no point asking your very best friend to have her fringe pinned back off her face just to match the others if you know it will make her feel self conscious. I always love to hear the stories about the relationship between a bride and her bridesmaids. Some are related, some have been inseparable since play school and some were even found in the ladies loo’s on a drunken night out!

Some brides go for matching dresses, whilst 2018 saw a lot more variation when it came to bridesmaids. Some wore the same colour but a different dress and some wore the same dress but in different colours. Whatever you choose for your bride tribe – don’t stress over it – your girls have got your back!  I can’t wait to see what the rest of my 2019 weddings bring! ( You can see some of my previous bridal parties getting ready here! ) 

One important question I hear a lot is ‘Just how many bridesmaids should I have?’ and ‘How many is too many?’ And the answer is…..Well, there isn’t one! Some ladies have a whole heard of friends that they want to share the experience with them, some just a select few. There’s no right and wrong. It’s certainly a case of quality over quantity and it’s down to you who you want with you on your day.  One of my brides last year had 20 bridesmaids – seriously! ( And no before you ask I didn’t have to get them all ready! ) 

As I’m sure all bridesmaids will agree its an honour to be asked to support someone in that way on their big day and it’s a real privilege. So no matter how many ladies you have in your tribe, whether it’s 2 or 20 then don’t forget that its your day, and you can have whoever and whatever you like! 

I look forward to joining you all! 

Katie x 

Or perhaps…. ”If i bring my own make up will it cost less?”

This might sound strange to some of you but both of these questions are things that myself and other make up artists get asked on a regular basis! Now don’t get me wrong, I can see the logic behind the thought process but I wanted to just take my time to answer them both in case you’re reading this and you have wondered the same…

Believe me when I say that ‘natural’ make up is an art in itself. To create the illusion of someone looking flawless and glowing, without looking like their skin has any product upon it, without it sliding off throughout the course of a 14 hour day is no easy feat! Natural make up simply does not mean less make up. Infact for a lot of ladies who don’t usually wear make up the natural look I create for them probably seems as if I’m putting so many products on their face that until they can actually see the finished result, they’re a little nervous as to just what I’m doing with all that make up! The key here is to know your products. My kit is full of premium brands and trusted products. Items that I know will last you and make you look your very best, whilst still keeping you ‘natural’. A skilled make up artist will know what and how to use  different items to suit your own individual skin type, texture and needs in order to reach the goal of ‘natural’ beautiful bride.

For this same reason its important that you listen to the advice of your make up artist and trust them when they say that your go to liner that you love so much that easily lasts you 4 hours whilst your our for dinner might not be the best option when you’re wanting something to last you all day and night on the wedding day. Or perhaps the powder that looks ‘ok’ to you,  won’t photograph well and you’ll end up with flashback in your photos.  If there is something you use that you really do love then chances are I probably have a variation of it and something very similar that I can assure you will last the distance! All of the products within my kit I know, I like and I trust. As I leave you on the wedding morning I know for sure that you re going to look just as amazing at 10pm as you do at 10am. It’s my job to ensure that I have confidence in what I’m using and that it’s going do react and ‘do’ exactly what I want it too! One exception to this is lipstick. I always advise my brides and their bridal parties to have a lipstick to hand for top ups throughout the day. As much as you might want it to chances are after that first kiss and that last course you’re going to want to reapply. Some brides even choose a different colour to put on for the evening so they can change up their look for when the party gets into full swing and the lights go down! 

Seriously though, you know how you like to look and you know what you look like when you feel good.  A preview session not only allows me to complete your look in full so I know what to use on the day itself,  but it allows a chance for you to see it too. So many brides tell me that seeing how they are going to look on their wedding day makes everything seem so much more real and it’s important that you feel comfortable and confident in my understanding and interpretation of the look you want me to create for you. Think of it like a ‘play’ time –  we can try a few different ideas, I might be able to make some suggestions that you perhaps hadn’t considered and then as it all finally comes together you will leave confident that you will look like the most beautiful bride! 

If you have any questions , no matter how silly you might think they are , then please do just drop me an email and ask away! 

I look forward to hearing from you!